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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
feeling a bit conflicted on this. loved the writing style and couldn’t put it down but the reveal felt… off? as if we sacrificed excellent storytelling for a shock-value explanation that didn’t actually do much to tie the plot together.
i’m confused as to how the ~cure~ would do anything to support these women and their multiple ailments…
all in all, this felt a bit too bloated and had a few too many plots that we barely scratched the surface of to pack the punch i’d have liked. i felt like we meandered through the entire climax with little pushback and like we were spoon-fed every answer with little resistance.
a shame as it really had me in the first half! i’d definitely read more from Heather Darwent in the future though.
all in all, this felt a bit too bloated and had a few too many plots that we barely scratched the surface of to pack the punch i’d have liked. i felt like we meandered through the entire climax with little pushback and like we were spoon-fed every answer with little resistance.
a shame as it really had me in the first half! i’d definitely read more from Heather Darwent in the future though.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Shave 100-odd pages off and this is impossible to put down. As it stands it's bogged down by meandering exposition and one too many convoluted metaphors. The mystery is dangled for so long that the drip-feed reveal and twist don't land with the punch they should. Brilliant concept but a slight missed opportunity.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a slog and disappointing which is a shame as Heather's last book was great.
slow-paced
I received an e-arc through NetGalley for review.
1.5 stars
Unfortunately, this book was not for me. The synopsis totally drew me in. One of the big wins was the atmosphere. But the plot jumped around so much in the beginning that I was too confused to fully immerse myself for the remainder of the book.
I had this sense of "I must have skipped a few pages by accident" over and over again, but I'd gone back to re-read portions of the book and didn't have any clarification.
I can see the potential this has to be an absolute hit on TikTok and BookTube, once it hits the right audience, but it went straight over my head.
1.5 stars
Unfortunately, this book was not for me. The synopsis totally drew me in. One of the big wins was the atmosphere. But the plot jumped around so much in the beginning that I was too confused to fully immerse myself for the remainder of the book.
I had this sense of "I must have skipped a few pages by accident" over and over again, but I'd gone back to re-read portions of the book and didn't have any clarification.
I can see the potential this has to be an absolute hit on TikTok and BookTube, once it hits the right audience, but it went straight over my head.
A Sharp Scratch by Heather Darwent
⭐⭐⭐ 3.5 stars
Publication date: 29th May 2025
Thank you to Viking Books and Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It's a promise that Betsy has heard far too many times. From the child psychologist, from her husband, and from the wellness trends that scream at her from her screen.
So far, it's been a lie. But this time, she believes it. Because Betsy has been offered a place at Carn - a luxurious, unorthodox retreat, where healing really is possible. At Carn, she discovers that her imperfections make her unique, not weak. She isn't broken, just special.
I think if you liked We Spread by Iain Read, The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi and Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang, this is going to be totally up your street.
This book is bizarre, unhinged and completely disorienting. However, the writing felt a little chaotic to me (but then again, we are in the mind of a very unreliable narrator) and I found the reveal underwhelming, especially after the skillful way Darwent ramped up the tension and intrigue. This being said, it was exceedingly readable and it kept me hooked. I really appreciated the suffocating and threatening atmosphere as well as the uncomfortable (and sometimes really icky) human interactions - before, during and after Carn.
⭐⭐⭐ 3.5 stars
Publication date: 29th May 2025
Thank you to Viking Books and Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It's a promise that Betsy has heard far too many times. From the child psychologist, from her husband, and from the wellness trends that scream at her from her screen.
So far, it's been a lie. But this time, she believes it. Because Betsy has been offered a place at Carn - a luxurious, unorthodox retreat, where healing really is possible. At Carn, she discovers that her imperfections make her unique, not weak. She isn't broken, just special.
I think if you liked We Spread by Iain Read, The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi and Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang, this is going to be totally up your street.
This book is bizarre, unhinged and completely disorienting. However, the writing felt a little chaotic to me (but then again, we are in the mind of a very unreliable narrator) and I found the reveal underwhelming, especially after the skillful way Darwent ramped up the tension and intrigue. This being said, it was exceedingly readable and it kept me hooked. I really appreciated the suffocating and threatening atmosphere as well as the uncomfortable (and sometimes really icky) human interactions - before, during and after Carn.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well… that was certainly something! I don’t know quite what to say about this book other than it was super intense and bizarre, but in a good way? I think 🤔
I love Heather Darwent’s writing so much. I get lost in her words so easily and it takes me absolutely no effort to read her books.
This book falls firmly in the category of weird little books and if you’re a fan of an absolute unhinged mess then you’ll probably like this one. Typically I also like those types of books too but A Sharp Scratch in parts reminded me of the bits in Rouge by Mona Awad that I didn’t like i.e what’s real, what’s not. A lot of people loved that but for whatever reason it just doesn’t work for me.
As with Darwent’s last novel, I love the atmosphere probably the most. The author just really scratches an itch with her writing style that creates a perfect vibe and atmosphere for me. Also shoutout to short chapters! It makes everything so much easier to consume - more short chapters from authors please.
I’m so on the edge of whether I really enjoyed this or not. I think a lot of people would love it, so worth a read! I think I enjoyed the writing and craziness enough to ignore some of the bits that didn’t work for me.
3.5/5⭐️
[ Thankyou @vikingbooksuk for kindly gifting me this book ]
I love Heather Darwent’s writing so much. I get lost in her words so easily and it takes me absolutely no effort to read her books.
This book falls firmly in the category of weird little books and if you’re a fan of an absolute unhinged mess then you’ll probably like this one. Typically I also like those types of books too but A Sharp Scratch in parts reminded me of the bits in Rouge by Mona Awad that I didn’t like i.e what’s real, what’s not. A lot of people loved that but for whatever reason it just doesn’t work for me.
As with Darwent’s last novel, I love the atmosphere probably the most. The author just really scratches an itch with her writing style that creates a perfect vibe and atmosphere for me. Also shoutout to short chapters! It makes everything so much easier to consume - more short chapters from authors please.
I’m so on the edge of whether I really enjoyed this or not. I think a lot of people would love it, so worth a read! I think I enjoyed the writing and craziness enough to ignore some of the bits that didn’t work for me.
3.5/5⭐️
[ Thankyou @vikingbooksuk for kindly gifting me this book ]
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For once a thriller where I felt the tension was actually worth the reveal! Everything made more sense, actual clues throughout the book yet still I did not get it! Really loved it and will be keeping an eye out for more by this author
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
7/10
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for providing me with an eARC for this book.
I had such a good time reading this. Just like with her debut, Darwent offers a tense, complex and intriguing experience with an incredibly interesting character at its centre. I really didn’t want to put this down once I stared reading because the purposeful withholding of information, both about Carn and Betsy, kept me in the dark but wanting to learn more.
I also really appreciated the conversations this book touched on; in particular the discussions of what it means to be the right amount of ill for those around you felt poignant and complex. And its complexity is what I think the book does best. It doesn’t offer easy answers, easy topics, or easy characters to read about. I absolutely loved the way that the book challenged me to take it apart and put the plot back together through its tangents and anecdotes.
My only real issues with this book come with its reveal and pacing in the second half. As the plot intensified throughout I felt some aspects of its escalation felt a little rushed, before coming to a halt early in the book’s third act. As for the unraveling of the mystery, I feel that really, with the amount of intrigue and suspense built through the book’s careful guarding of information, my expectations may have been too high. Now, this is not to say that the events here were not horrific, but perhaps the delivery of this information or the consequences thereafter could’ve had more punch. To me the tone of the book, and perhaps my expectations from reading Darwent’s debut, lead me to wanting more detail and perhaps something even more extreme. Despite this, I do really love the thematic implications of every going on here.
On the whole this was great! I had so much fun really digging into this story and I am very glad to have read it. Really it exceeded my expectations.